Taunton River Watershed Alliance calendar showcases work of local photographers

Monday

Nov 27, 2017 at 3:22 PMNov 28, 2017 at 10:43 AM

Rebecca Hyman rhyman@tauntongazette.com

TAUNTON – Just in time for holiday gift shopping, the Taunton River Watershed Alliance has released its 2018 calendar celebrating the natural beauty of the Taunton area as captured by some talented local shutterbugs.

“A lot of people don’t realize how big the watershed is and how beautiful it is,” said Jennifer O’Keefe, TRWA’s volunteer calendar coordinator.

The eighth annual TRWA calendar features tidal data for the Taunton River along with the winning images from the non-profit organization’s annual photography contest.

In all, the calendar includes 26 images by 23 photographers focusing their cameras on the wild life and scenery of the Taunton River Watershed - 562 square miles spanning 43 Southeastern Massachusetts cities and towns, from Bridgewater to Fall River.

Berkley resident David Ennis captured the cover spot this year with his image “Bald Eagle on the Taunton River” — making Ennis the first ever TRWA photographer to win the top honor more than once.

His “King of the Hill” shot of osprey during territorial display was featured on the 2016 cover.

An avid photographer, he can be found chasing birds of prey from Middleboro to Dighton, O’Keefe said.

“He’s the kind of photographer who gets his boots wet,” she said.

This year’s winners hail from Taunton, Raynham, Berkley, Lakeville, Assonet and Somerset and the photographs were taken in Dighton, Taunton, Fall River, Lakeville, Freetown, Somerset, West Bridgewater and Hanson.

The work of 13 runners-up will also appear as thumbnails throughout the calendar.

O’Keefe said approximately 30 photographers submitted a total of 400 images this year.

They are an intrepid bunch of nature lovers who go above and beyond to get a great shot – and the calendar contest adds a little extra incentive, O’Keefe said.

“The photographers think nothing of going through a giant patch of poison ivy or skidding down a little cliff,” O’Keefe said.

There are also some friendly rivalries that have been spawned by the photo contest, including one between Taunton resident Mark Genovese, who has three winners this year, and his sister, Ellen Hansen, who has been featured in previous calendars and has a thumbnail on the cover this year. Both of their work regularly wins ribbons at Taunton Art Association shows, O'Keefe said.

Then there’s the retired couple who only have one camera and both claim dibs when they spot the perfect shot on nature walks together, O’Keefe said.

The youngest winner so far was an 8-year-old girl who was out with her father when she found herself smack in front of a frog with a camera in her hands.

”She took it and it was gorgeous,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe does have a tip for aspiring photographers who’d like to up their odds of winning a spot in the calendar.

“I always tell photographers you’ll have a greater chance of getting a photo in if you give me one with snow,” said O’Keefe, who said summer shots are always greatly over-represented in terms of entries, compared to more wintry fare.

Then there’s March. It’s hard to capture its essence in a single image because it’s an in-between month, no longer very snowy but not yet budding, O’Keefe said.

“March is always the hardest month,” O’Keefe said.

O’Keefe said she was especially delighted this year to see the submissions by a Taunton photographer, Jonathan Huggon, who uses a wheelchair, and whose shot “Fall River Heritage State Park, Battleship Cove and the Braga Bridge” was the June winner.

Last year, none of his entries was selected for the calendar. He was still figuring out how to work with the challenges of not having easy access to every angle or vantage point and having to take the photos from a seated position, O’Keefe said.

“He had to learn to work with that viewpoint,” she said.

And learn he did, she said.

This year he submitted 10 photographs and every one was wonderful, she said.

“I could have made a calendar just of his work,” O’Keefe said.

TRWA is a non-profit alliance of residents, businesses and organizations working to restore and manage water and related natural resources within the Taunton River Watershed.

The 2018 TRWA calendar may be purchased for $19.99 at http://www.calendarlink.org/trwa/home.html or by calling 508-828-1101.